Self-admiration and intelligence are two opposite poles; they are quite opposite to each other. Yet our self-admiration wants us to be shown as the most intelligent among everyone.
Self-admiration makes us think “Everyone is intelligent, but I am extra intelligent.”
Vasudevji and Devakiji represent intelligence and wisdom respectively, and Kans represents self-admiration.
Kans believed that “Vasudevji and Devakiji are good-natured people. But Kans is better than them because Kans encourages them and supports them.”
Let us say there is an award called the “Best Person Award.” When an outsider visits the city of Mathura and checks on the conduct of Devakiji, Vasudevji, and Kans, whom would he vote for the best person award? Who was praised the most in Mathura’s bazaar among Devakiji, Vasudevji, and Kans?
Kans was praised the most. Everyone used to believe he was the greatest ever. No one remembered Vasudevji; in turn, Vasudevji frequently remembers that Kans is the greatest he has ever known.
A self-admiring person can do everything needed. Until when? Until the moment his self-admiration is not hurt.
How much was the enmity between Ravan and Lord Ram? It was very severe. Yet, Ravan allowed Vibhishanji to have a temple of Lord Ram in his palace.
How was the palace of Vibhishanji in Lanka? There were the names of Lord Ram everywhere; the palace had a garden of tulasi plants and a beautiful temple of Lord Ram.
Did Vibhishanji construct Lord Ram’s temple without Ravan’s consent? Don’t Ravan know about these things?
He knows everything and was in favor of all these things. Until when?
Until Vibhishanji didn’t go against Ravan. Once Vibhishanji went against Ravan, Ravan threw Vibhishanji out of his kingdom and said “Get out of here. There is no use of you anymore.”
Ravan’s nature was: “I am generous and supportive to you. Until when? Until you do not go against my wishes.”
That is the nature of Kans as well. That is the nature of any self-admiring soul. They will be good with us. Until when will they be good with us? We should know that. We should know the boundary of self-admiration.
Can a humble person admire his own self?
If a person is very humble and often keeps touching our feet, can we say he is filled with self-admiration? No. We in turn say, “See his humility. There is not a single trace of self-admiration in him. Isn’t it?”
We often fall into a trap here: If a person is humble, we say he is free from self-admiration. If a person is not humble, we say he is filled with self-admiration.
Kans encouraged Vasudevji and Devakiji, he made grand arrangements for their marriage, and he said, I will be the driver of your vehicle.
When Kans was sending his sister to her in-laws’ home for the first time, he became the driver of the chariot carrying his sister and brother-in-law. By seeing the humility and broad mind of Kans, both Vasudevji and Devakiji were surprised and pleased.
It seems that Kans is very generous, broad-minded, and humble, and such a person can never admire himself. Yet, all of it is fake.
A self-admiring soul can never be humble. Then why did Kans act humble? Why does he do the drama of humbleness?
Because Kans wants the certificate of “Most humble soul,” and “Most broad-minded soul” from the society.
His self-admiration wishes to get these certificates from the society: “If there is someone very humble in the kingdom of Mathura, there is only one and that is me,” “If there is someone with the broadest mind in the kingdom of Mathura, there is only one and that is me again.”
To provide a certificate to someone, society only sees their work on the surface and doesn’t care to go deeper. Kans very well knows that society only sees the surface and doesn’t care what lies within. And so, he believed, “No one is capable to see my inside, and so I am going to get the certificate of the most humble and broadminded person of this kingdom.”
What is the purpose of education?
The purpose of education is to gain knowledge. But most students study to get a certificate as they believe that is the easiest path out.
Kans wished the same. He doesn’t want to be truly humble but only wishes to get the certificate of humbleness.
Thus, powerful souls like Vasudevji and Devakiji, who represent intelligence and wisdom respectively, were mesmerized to see the good nature of Kans and offered him a certificate that, “There is no one as humble as Kans. There is no one as broad-minded as Kans. There is no one as saintly as Kans.”
Self-admiration wears a good dress in the form of humility and broad-mindedness and starts to charm everyone. By wearing such a good dress, they do all good actions and make sure that their private agenda is never visible to anyone.
Thus, the humblest and the most broadminded Kans was driving the chariot when he heard the words from the celestial sky saying “You fool! The eighth kid of Devakiji and Vasudevji is going to slay you.”
It was the end of his acting. He immediately took out his sword and went on to kill his sister and brother-in-law.
Maharaj said that “If a person admires his own self, and if a saint as good as Muktanand Swami disturbs his self-admiration, then that self-admiring person will not hesitate to keep a sword on the neck of that saint.”
How can we save ourselves from self-admiration?
Maharaj said that “If we want to be free from self-admiration, we should not highly respect our own personality.”
A person can have some respect for himself. But he shouldn’t highly respect himself and shouldn’t have high regard for himself. He should never think he is better than everyone else. One should learn to accept the way he is in comparison with others.
Only a person with a lot of good karma can accept the way they are. Even if society respects such a person or has high regard for such a person, he knows exactly where he stands among everyone.
The other way of saving from self-admiration is to have a fixed goal that spans over a very long period.
Many students come from faraway places to study at Gurukul. It is a general saying that, when students study at a place far away from home, there is a high chance of getting spoiled. Does that mean everyone studying far away from home gets spoiled? No. If someone has fixed his goal to study well, they will not be spoiled. No one can disturb such a student with a fixed goal; someone without any goal will likely be spoiled.
Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam has quoted that “Small aim is a crime. Have a great aim.”
Not having a goal is the worst unsaintly quality.
References:
- Chosathpadi Katha Part 20 (Pad 21).